An exceptional all-around athlete, Joan Schimpf (Samonisky) enjoyed great success in field hockey and softball at the University of Delaware in 1976-79 and was also an accomplished amateur golfer. She lettered three years each in field hockey and softball and served as team captain for both squads. As a midfielder for coach Mary Ann Hitchens, Schimpf led the field hockey team to a three-year mark of 38-13-9 and three straight AIAW national top four finishes, including a national runner-up spot in 1978. In softball, she was a four-year standout outfielder for coach Kay Ice who batted .401 for her career and graduated holding numerous school records, including marks for career hits, home runs, and stolen bases. She was named Delaware’s Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 1978-79. A Wilmington, DE native (Concord High School), she graduated with honors from Delaware in 1979 and moved on to a career as one of Delaware’s top high school field hockey coaches and athletics administrators. The wife of current UD men’s soccer head coach Marc Samonisky, Joan currently serves as director of athletics and head field hockey coach at the Sanford School in Hockessin, DE after serving in the same role at Caravel Academy in Bear, DE. They reside in Newark, DE with their two daughters. |